Our commitment to corporate citizenship is inseparable from our basic business activities. What we do—discover, develop, manufacture, and market medicines that help people live longer, healthier, and more active lives—is described in the following section. How we go about our work is just as important as what we do. This is why we have set high standards and put systems in place to help ensure compliance with laws, regulations, and society’s expectations, including:
The public policy and compliance committee of the Lilly Board of Directors reviews, identifies, and, when appropriate, brings to the attention of the Board political, social, and legal trends and issues, as well as compliance matters that may have an impact on the business operations, financial performance, or public image of the company. The committee also reviews, monitors, and makes recommendations to the Board on corporate policies and practices that relate to public policy and compliance. This committee is composed entirely of independent directors, and supporting corporate staff includes our vice president of corporate affairs, the office of the corporate secretary, and the vice president and chief compliance officer.
We maintain comprehensive programs to help ensure compliance with Lilly policies, voluntary commitments, and legal and regulatory requirements. These efforts include: establishing and communicating standards and procedures; providing oversight, monitoring, auditing, and performance incentives; and taking disciplinary action, when necessary. A cornerstone of this program is Lilly’s code of business conduct, The Red Book (PDF). All employees receive training on The Red Book and must certify that they have received, read, understand, and agree to abide by it.
Our Corporate Citizenship Principles draw on our values, policies, and standards and summarize how we approach key issues of public concern.
You can learn more about our board of directors, senior management, and corporate governance at the corporate governance section of this website. Our systems for sales and marketing compliance are discussed in more detail in the marketing and use section of this report.
Our approach to corporate citizenship is influenced by the aspirations we have for our company’s reputation. We want the Lilly brand to be admired and valued. We endeavor to be a company with whom stakeholders—patients, employees, physicians, shareholders, and others—prefer to work and interact. And, we know this is less about what we say, and more about what we do. Therefore, through our actions, we want stakeholders to view Lilly as providing “Answers That Matter” by delivering breakthrough products and medical expertise, actively listening and responding, and being reliable and trustworthy in all that we do.
Our commitment to breakthrough products means that we focus our considerable investment in research and development of new medicines not only on responding to market opportunities but also on meeting unmet patient needs.
Medical expertise enables the research, discovery, and development of new medicines. We also want to share that expertise, as discussed in the Access to Medicines and Community Investment sections of this report.
Active listening and responding describes how we engage with our internal and external stakeholders. Listening builds understanding of our stakeholders’ wants and needs and provides insight into markets, emerging policy and regulatory issues, and community and customer concerns. Responding builds trust and assures stakeholders that their concerns have been taken seriously.
Our pledge to be reliable and trustworthy demonstrates our intention to build trust in our company and our industry.
Further, we know that to deliver on our commitments, we must have engaged and dedicated employees who share in Lilly’s mission. Therefore, Lilly strives to create an enriching workplace (discussed further in the workforce section) that reflects the company’s values and philosophy, and provides employees the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the world through the work they do.
In summary, our approach to corporate citizenship requires a commitment to accountability, transparency, and engagement with our employees, customers, and other stakeholders. This report is a key tool and supports this approach. We hope that it sparks dialogue and sheds light on how we are addressing the challenges and opportunities of being a pharmaceutical company in the 21st century.
Mission We provide customers “Answers That Matter” through innovative medicines, information, and exceptional customer service that enable people to live longer, healthier, and more active lives.
Strategic Intent By providing for the unmet needs of our customers through a constant stream of innovation, we will outgrow all competitors.
Vision “Answers That Matter” is the foundation of our promise to our customers. We will deliver on our promise by listening to and understanding the needs of our customers and by providing unmatched value. To provide our customers unmatched value, we will create four dimensions of competitive advantage:
Generating an accelerating flow of pharmaceutical products from internal discovery and external sources that address our customers’ unmet needs.
Manufacturing and supplying our portfolio of products at an ever-increasing level of quality and service.
Providing information, services, and delivery systems that maximize value for our customers and drive the early and sustained adoption of our products.
Partnering to obtain access to high-potential molecules and strengthen key capabilities, thereby creating more value for Lilly and our partners than we could achieve on our own.
Our organization will be adaptive and highly flexible, allowing us to respond to both internal and external changes.
Corporate citizenship statements of conduct
Core values
Long-established core values guide Eli Lilly and Company in all that we do. These values are:
Respect for People—We maintain an environment built on mutual respect, openness, and individual integrity. Respect for people includes our concern for the interests of all people who touch—or are touched by—our company: customers, employees, shareholders, partners, suppliers, and communities.
Integrity—We conduct our business in a way that embraces the very highest standards of honesty and ethical behavior and is consistent with all applicable laws and regulations. We are honest in our dealings with customers, employees, suppliers, competitors, shareholders, and the community.
Excellence—We pursue pharmaceutical innovation, provide high-quality products, and strive to deliver superior business results. Our quest for excellence is reflected in our unsurpassed focus on quality and a continuous search for new ways to improve everything we do. As a result, customers around the world will increasingly choose our products, enabling us to generate a superior financial performance that benefits our shareholders, employees, and the communities where we live.
We are dedicated to providing customers “Answers That Matter” through innovative medicines, information, and exceptional customer service. Our dedication will enable people to live longer, healthier, and more active lives.
We discover and develop products through rigorous testing and in accordance with the highest scientific and ethical standards. We strive to create innovative products that are either first-in-class or best-in-class and fulfill the clinical promise of their Lilly label.
We respect and protect the environment.
We reliably manufacture and supply high quality medicines that are safe and effective. We create and maintain safe and healthful working conditions.
We price our products mindful of dual responsibilities: to realize the profits that will enable us to invest in discovery of the next generation of innovative medicines and to permit patients to have access to the value that our innovative medicines can bring to them and their families today.
Governance and business conduct
We are at the forefront of good corporate governance and have strong, independent, and diverse membership on our board of directors.
We comply with the laws and regulations of every country in which we conduct business and act affirmatively to verify our compliance.
We conduct our business activities with respect for people and a commitment to diversity, equal opportunity, and freedom from exposure to improper conduct and discrimination.
We select and maintain relationships with suppliers based on the merit and value of their products and services. We will work only with suppliers that we believe are in full compliance with local laws and Lilly’s standards of social, environmental, and economic performance.
We safeguard and make proper use of nonpublic company and third-party information to which we have access.
We respect the privacy of individuals’ personal information.
We comply with all laws and regulations that govern the manner in which we participate in the political process and interact with government officials and public international organizations.
We support charitable needs in communities where we operate and in areas where we have talents and resources that will make a difference.
Transparency and accountability to stakeholders
We listen and respond forthrightly to questions and criticisms of Lilly and the pharmaceutical industry. We commit ourselves to doing so with the utmost in transparency and timeliness. Our aim is to lead within our industry, improving its responses to the questions and criticisms it faces.
We create and maintain proper records, adhere to the highest standards of external reporting practices, and are as transparent, clear, and accurate as possible in providing information to our stakeholders.
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